Book Review - Raising Hell For Peace : A Crusade by the Brahma-Kshatriya

 

Title - Raising Hell For Peace : A Crusade by the Brahma-Kshatriya

Author -Shashi Bakshi

Genre - Fiction(Thriller)

Publisher - Shashi Bakshi

ISBN - 979-869-077-0716

This is a fast paced socio-political thriller which would keep you captivated till the end. There are lot of events which had happened in the real life which has been incorporated in this novel in a real effective way. This includes:

9/11 Attacks

Indian Parliament Attack

Allahabad train burn incident apart from other important events like

NPR and CAA

Kamala as VP of U.S. to name a few.

The novel would make you retrospect irrespective of your political leaning or ideologies. This is the need of the hour since if you side with one - be it Left Wing or Right Wing without knowing their ideologies and when you are given the power, those ideologies shouldn't act as a deterrent as to what you truly are.

This is what happens with Balraj who is entrusted with upbringing of Deshbhakt by Guru Satyanand of The Indo Aryan Pride Organisation(IAPO) who believed that Desh is the Avatar or Kalki and in order to understand his fullest potential, he needs to be handed over the relic.

While Desh had a full backing of IAPO, he meets Aryabhat in the IIT,Kanpur and they become close friends. They had a gang of friends which included Kamala, Baozhai among others. While Desh was indulged in protests, Arya excels in his studies and fetches a full scholarship in Princeton University where he meets Katrina. Aftre going to the U.S. Arya loses touch with Desh.

Desh becomes the C.M.of U.P. twice and when he was facing the election for the 3rd time to the C.M.'s office, he gets to meet Arya who has become a political analyst and advisor to few other States. This character reminded me of PK in the present Indian politics. Don't tell me that you do not know who PK is.....

What did he do to make him win the elections?

Then there are riots. Why did that take place?

Then there was a rift between Arya and Desh. What had caused this rift?

Did Desh get the relic? If yes, did it manifest his powers?

This novel talks in great detail about how the politics is conducted and how the nations in the West like Italy(read it as Vatican), Russia, U.S. try to influence others through their plans and how the intel is gathered and the reasons as to why acts like sabotage, phone tapping, intel etc., are done and how it is done.

The book also talks about the racism which prevails even in this 21st century.

A must read irrespective of your political leanings and is a perfect fit if you are searching for a socio-political genre.

This book is available on Amazon in Paperback and eBook formats.

PR - LAY’S continues streak of innovations with launch of New, Limited Time Flavours

The brand has introduced two new limited-time flavours – Lay’s Herby Crush and Lay’s Cheesy Love - right in time for Valentine’s Day 

New TVC featuring brand ambassadors, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, has been unveiled for the launch of these new, exciting flavours 

National, January 20^th, 2021: Lay’s, one of India’s favoured potato chip brands, is back to delight its fans with two new distinct, limited-time flavours, Lay’s Herby Crush and Lay’s Cheesy Love. Continuing the brand’s streak of bringing flavourful innovations to consumers, these new variants have been launched in the run up to Valentine’s Day 2021 –which is a celebration of relationships, friendship and love for the youth of today.  

The brand has introduced Herby Crush and Cheesy Love flavours by adding its own unique twist to both the flavours. Combining a widely loved palette with its flavour expertise, Lay’s aims to make the two new variants ‘an affair to remember’ for fans across the country through the TVC campaign #YeWaalaYaadRahega. 

In line with this, a TVC featuring India’s youth icons and Lay’s brand ambassadors, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, has been launched today. Set against a relatable backdrop, the film features the two celebrities engaging in a fun, romantic banter with one another. Their repartee is characterized by poetic quips for one another, playfully disguised as witty remarks about the new Lay’s flavours.

Speaking about the campaign, leading actor and face of Lay’s, Ranbir Kapoor said, “I had a great deal of fun shooting for the new Lay’s limited-time flavours – Herby Crush and Cheesy Love. Both variants are truly unique and offer a burst of flavour in every bite. We have tried to bring alive the distinctiveness of the two flavours in the TVC as well, and sincerely hope that our fans across India would relish these new offerings!”.

“Fun moments with dear ones always add an element of joy to our lives, and when accompanied with the new Lay’s Herby Crush and Cheesy Love flavours, the experience becomes even more memorable. The new Lay’s limited-time variants are not only innovative, but also delicious and full of flavour. I had a blast shooting for the film, and I’m certain that this new launch will be a #YeWaalaYaadRahega moment for fans and consumers this Valentine’s Day!”, added Bollywood superstar and Lay’s brand ambassador, Alia Bhatt.

Ritu Nakra, WPP Lead - PepsiCo Foods at Wunderman Thompson, India added, “Lay’s builds connections of the heart and the chip enables new relationships. This Valentine's Day, Lay’s is launching two limited-time-only flavours. The brand narrative explores how the two new flavours of Lay’s let lovers, friends, acquaintances, and even complete strangers make and celebrate their relationships over a shared moment of chips”.

Sharing his thoughts on the new launch and the campaign, Dilen Gandhi, Senior Director and Category Head – Foods, PepsiCo India remarked, “As leaders in the category, we at Lay’s are delighted to introduce two new, limited-time flavourful innovations to our portfolio with the launch of Lay’s Herby Crush and Lay’s Cheesy Love flavours. As a brand, Lay’s has always aimed to add joy to consumers’ lives and make special moments even more special. Ahead of Valentine’s Day, we sincerely hope that these new flavours as well as the #YeWaalaYaadRahega campaign with Ranbir and Alia will prove to be truly ‘memorable’ for our fans and consumers across India”. 

The launch of the TVC is first in the line of numerous activations that the brand has in the pipeline for the upcoming weeks. The latest launch is also being brought to life through a robust 360-degree digital surround campaign - ‘What’s Your Relationchip Status’ - panning across multiple platforms. As a key highlight of this digital campaign, Lay’s will be engaging with over 3000 micro influencers and bringing alive the proposition organically on social media. 

The new Lay’s Herby Crush and Cheesy Love flavours are now available on leading retail and e-commerce platforms across India.

 

AGENCY CREDITS:

Creative Agency: Wunderman Thompson

WPP Lead - PepsiCo Foods, India: Ritu Nakra

Chief Creative Officer: Senthil Kumar

Executive Creative Director: Udayan Chakravarty & Dushyant Chopra

Strategy Leads: Atishi Pradhan & Arnab Datta Chaudhuri

Creative Directors: Sameer Kumar & Dapindra Singh

Copywriter: Aakash Aher

Account Management: Yashi Vikram, Shivangi Shubham, Konika Chaliha Dastidar and Binay Mehra

Production House: Hope Productions

Director: Gauri Shinde

Producer: Anil Naidu

###

About LAY’S:

Launched in 1995 in India, Lay’s is one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo India and has always been known for bringing in flavours of the world along with Indian flavours that our consumers love. Lay’s has a wide range of offerings under its umbrella, with unique and indulgent flavours that cater to both local and international tastes. It is available in six flavours.

Consumers can also log onto the Lay’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/laysindia and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lays_india/?hl=en

 

About PepsiCo India

PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and has grown to become one of the largest MNC food and beverage businesses in India. PepsiCo India has been consistently investing in the country and has built an expansive beverage and snack food business supported by 62 plants across foods and beverages. PepsiCo India’s diverse portfolio includes iconic brands like Pepsi, Lay’s, Kurkure, Tropicana 100%, Gatorade and Quaker. In less than two decades, the company has been able to organically grow eight brands, each of which generate Rs. 1000 crores or more in estimated annual retail sales and are household names, trusted across the country.

PepsiCo’s growth in India has been guided by our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. “Winning with Purpose” reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com

 

For any media queries, please contact:

From PepsiCo India: Amit Nanchahal| Amit.Nanchahal@pepsico.com +91 8130463737

From Edelman: Shriya Yadav | Shriya.yadav@edelman.com | +91 9971230399 Parushi Sharma | Parushi.sharma@edelman.com | +91 83770 43010

PR - WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: Mihir Dalal’s BigBillion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story wins the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2020

 

Mumbai, Thursday, January 21, 2021: Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story, the definitive account of the biggest start-up that redefined India’s e-commerce, by investigative journalist Mihir Dalal has been announced as the winner of the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2020.

The winner was selected from an eclectic and compelling shortlist of six books, showcasing the vibrant Indian business ecosystem. Established by the Gaja Capital last year, a leading equity firm, the Gaja Business Book Prize is one of the leading initiatives connecting the worlds of business and writing. With a purse of INR 15 Lakh for the winner, it is the biggest business book prize in the country to honour authors and their chronicles celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship in India.

While announcing the winner virtually this year, Gopal Jain, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Gaja Capital, said, “The Indian growth phenomenon – is one of the great stories of the 21st century. It needs to be told. Narratives inspire and build conviction - India has many successful entrepreneurs and businesses. The world should speak of them just as we speak of the world because you don’t have to be Western to be Modern. As Investors and entrepreneurs in the Indian market, we have witnessed several such journeys first-hand. The Gaja Capital Business Book Prize was instituted in 2019 to encourage Indian writers, journalists and entrepreneurs to tell our stories and tell them well, for the world.”

The jury for the second edition comprised stalwarts from the worlds of industry, investments, academia, public policy, and governance including:

Manish Sabharwal, Chairman Teamlease (Chairman, Jury)

Imran Jafar, Managing Partner & co-founder- Gaja Capital

UK Sinha, Former Chairman of SEBI

Michael Queen, Former Chief Executive of 3i (British Multinational PE fund)

Neelkanth Mishra, Managing Director and Head of Equity Strategy, Asia Pacific for Credit Suisse

Narayan Ramachandran, Former country head, Morgan Stanley India

Prithvi Haldea, Founder Chairman of Praxis Consulting (Prime Database)

Shailesh Haribhakti, Founder and Managing Partner of Shailesh Haribhakti & Associates Chartered Accountants.

The 2020 shortlist consisted of a diverse range of stories of enterprises and their protagonists including : the Unicorn story of Flipkart in Big Billion Startup by Mihir Dalal; the exposé of Ranbaxy in  Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban; HDFC Bank’s digital revolution in HDFC Bank 2.0 by Tamal Bandyopadhyay; the riveting account of Bigbasket’s leadership in Saying No to Jugaad: The Making of Bigbasket by TN Hari and MS Subramanian; the 70 year journey of Hero in The Making of Hero by Sunil Munjal and the bold and adventurous journey of a Venture Capitalist in India in The Moonshot Game by Rahul Chandra

 

Jury Citation for Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story by Mihir Dalal (Published by Pan Macmillan) :

“The 2020 edition of The Gaja Capital Business Book Prize has had an extraordinary list of submissions featuring an outstanding list of books, and our shortlist featured a brilliant range of stories of Indian enterprises and their protagonists. In addition to the narrative power and research behind these individual stories, the jury also considered how these outstanding chronicles can inspire and educate young entrepreneurs - and were unanimous in choosing Big Billion Startup by Mihir Dalal as the winner of the 2020 Prize. 

Through this incisive and deeply researched book, Mihir Dalal aims to answer the critical question: What will the internet economy in India look like? The Flipkart story reminds us that Indian entrepreneurs will forge their own independent paths of innovation serving a diverse and very demanding Indian consumer. 

Mihir Dalal gets under the skin and takes no prisoners. This is a must read.

About the Book

Mihir Dalal recounts the astounding story of how the Bansals built Flipkart into a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse in the span of a few years and made internet entrepreneurship a desirable occupation. But it is also a story of big money, power and hubris, as both business and interpersonal complexities weakened the founders’ control over their creation and forced them to sell out to a retailer they had once dreamt of emulating. Flipkart’s auction involved some of the corporate world’s biggest names, from Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai to Jack Ma, Masa Son and Doug McMillon, an ironic testimony to the strength of what the Bansals had once forged. Based on extraordinary research, extensive interviews, and deep access to Flipkart, Big Billion Startup is the riveting and revealing account of how Sachin and Binny Bansal built and sold India’s largest internet company.

 

About Mihir Dalal

Mihir Dalal is an editor with Mint, from where he has covered internet businesses for more than five years. He previously worked at Reuters and CNBC TV18. He was born and brought up in Bombay and currently lives in Bangalore. Big Billion Startup is his first book. A leading production house is adapting the book into a web series. 

 

About Gaja Capital

One of India’s premier mid-market focused private equity firms, Gaja Capital provides growth capital to ambitious entrepreneurs to build the future champions of Indian economy. Through its specific, methodical and consistent investment strategy, Gaja has an established track record of delivering strong performance since inception and has positioned itself as a partner of choice for emerging companies and leading global investors in India. Gaja Capital was founded in 2004 by Gopal Jain, Ranjit Shah, and Imran Jafar—a group of seasoned indigenous professionals with an established track record of investing and operational management in India.  The high calibre of leadership, investment and operating expertise within the Gaja's core team has enabled it to deliver tangible value beyond capital to the entrepreneurs it has invested in. 

About the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize

The last two decades demonstrate that Indian business is telling new stories and finding new paths. The chroniclers of Indian business stories endure painstaking efforts to capture the romance, struggle and joys of entrepreneurship. The Gaja Capital Business Book Prize is created to honour these travellers, their journeys and their chroniclers.  Awarded annually, the book prize recognises best narratives on an Indian company (or an entrepreneur or some event) that transformed the business ecosystem in India.

You can read the review of this book done by me in November 2019 by clicking here

Press Release - Announcing the Partnership Between K-Tech CoE DS & AI and E2E Networks

 

India’s largest NSE-listed cloud provider E2E Networks has partnered with KTech CoE Data Science & AI Government of Karnataka (GoK) - powered by NASSCOM, a pivotal initiative by GoK to foster disruptive innovation by creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem and create quality human capital to meet the AI talent requirements. NASSCOM is a not-for-profit industry association in India, is the apex body for the 180 billion dollar Indian IT BPM industry.

 

The partnership comes at a time when the world is fighting a pandemic, and cloud-based technology is taking massive leaps to help the economy. KTech CoE DS & AI has a great role to play as an evangelist and driver of AI enabled growth; Its vision is “to harness the potential of AI for augmenting the state’s and so the country’s innovation ecosystem and create multiplier impact on economy, industry and society “

 

The symbiotic partnership will entail benefits for both the parties. E2E Networks will get access to KTech CoE DS&AI accelerated companies, and this will help them accelerate AI Innovation in India. It will also reap the direct benefits of the joint activities conducted by KTech CoE DS&AI.

 

For KTech CoE DS&AI accelerated MSMEs and Innovators, there will be an exclusive discount, which will also gain access to latest NVIDIA GPUs via cloud servers from E2E at highly affordable prices to run their artificial intelligence loads, which includes high-performance computing, machine learning, deep learning and data science workloads.

 

The tie-up shall provide a leg up to enable deep research benefiting various industries as well as the Government so that everyone can benefit. KTech CoE DS&AI, since its inception, has been driving the acceleration the adoption of AI solutions by user enterprises and public sector by creating toolkits, processes, and frameworks. It enables convergence of technological advancements and industry developments with deployable Data Science and AI Innovations. Also develop skills to ensure talent pipeline to meet the growing requirements for AI professionals.

 

E2E Networks offers the latest GPUs – NVIDIA® A100 Tensor Core GPU, NVIDIA T4 Tensor Core GPU, and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000. When combined with NVIDIA virtual GPU (vGPU) solutions for Quadro workstations, creative and technical professionals are able to work from anywhere, including their home offices, and run compute and graphics-intensive applications for CAD, digital content creation, simulation, and rendering.

 

KTech CoE DS&AI strengthens itself with constructing the architecture that is integral to the core development of the Data Science & AI sector through policy advocacy. This helps a sector set up the strategy and goals to unleash its complete potential and also reach out and dominate new arenas.

 

KTech CoE DS & AI are very positive about the future of AI in India and particularly in Karnataka. “The biggest impediment faced by AI MSMEs and Innovators today is access to AI processing capability and flexible scaling of capacity. Which is very Capital intensive and hard to come by for AI Startups working on carefully prioritized budgets. Through this tie-up, we are simply enabling what our MSMEs and Innovators asked for. Not only will it help our network of Data Science & AI companies to focus on Innovation rather than CapEx, but also help them accelerate their speed of AI innovation than it already is. The pandemic has ushered in an era where working remotely is the new normal. We think this is how the MSME and corporate world will function over the next few decades, and the transformation needs an OpEx model for AI processing needs. E2E Networks will help our Innovators jump to a completely digital work-board in the near future” said Krishna Prabu, Technical Director, Ktech CoE DS&AI.

 

 

E2E Networks can help businesses deploy NVIDIA GPU-accelerated solutions for modern workloads in the cloud, including AI, data science, HPC, and virtual workstations for specialized engineering and graphical remote work.

 

"Our collaboration with KTech CoE DS&AI allows us to play a significant role in helping KTech CoE DS&AI incubated startups and members run their AI/ML training/inference, data science, NLP, computer vision, and professional graphics workstation workloads," said Tarun Dua CEO of E2E Networks.

"Internet accessible GPU-accelerated machine learning and deep learning servers are helping run the specialized Artificial Intelligence learning and inference workloads in an increasingly remote-first world," added Tarun.

PR - December performance helps NMDC end the year on a good note

 

Chennai, 3^st January, 2020: NMDC, the country's largest Iron Ore producer, and a Navratna Company, continued the impressive performance run in the month of December 2020 also. This is the 5^th month in 2020, when production and sales showed an uptick when compared to the CPLY.

Iron ore production for the month of December 2020 is 3.86 MT (Million Tonnes) against the production level of 3.13 MT in December 2019, thereby registering a growth of 23.3%.

Iron ore production in Q3 of FY20 is 9.61 MT against the production of 8.56 MT in Q3 of FY19, thereby registering a growth of 12.3% (CPLY).

Iron ore sales for the month of December 2020 is 3.62 MT against the sales level of 3.04 MT in December 2019, thereby registering a growth of 19.1%.

Iron ore sales in Q3 of FY20 is 9.44 MT against the sales in Q3 of FY19 is 8.44, thereby registering a growth of 11.8% (CPLY).

NMDC is steadily improving its performance every month and continues to enhance the production level month on month. The performance of the last few months and December showcases production and sales will exceed last year’s performance, despite the adverse circumstances of 2020. The performance proves NMDC’s ability to battle any challenge and maintain its leadership position in the industry.

Shri Sumit Deb, CMD, NMDC commented “The steady growth in performance has helped us end the year on a good note. We are on our way to better the cumulative figures both physical and financial parameters of the previous year. Indian steel industry revival needs support to tide over the crisis and we are doing our best to cater to it. Team NMDC has always kept the nation’s interest in mind, and we hope to continue this excellent performance in the new year.”